Australian slang Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

This guide should be viewed as an informal and fun introduction to some Australian idiosyncrasies, rather than a guide on how to communicate.

Increasing globalisation and a move away from rural living has seen Australian English adopt a lot of American terms while at the same time romanticising words commonly associated with the bush. Australians mostly view their slang as being uniquely Australian and an integral part of their culture. Judging by the number of Australian slang books available on the shelves, it remains of interest to travellers too.

Many parts of Australian slang have their origins outside Australia, particularly in England and Ireland. Don't be surprised if many terms seem familiar. However, don't assume that similar slang expressions have the same meaning to Australians as they might in other countries. An attempt to use some Australian slang will likely be viewed as an attempt to mock, rather than as a genuine attempt to speak the local dialect. It's better to use the guide to interpret Steve Irwin's former TV shows or if you're really unsure, just use American English, as nearly every Australian speaks American English just as well as they speak their own dialect. Trying to use British English also will get you there in most places, but most British terms that are not commonly used in Australia (such as lorry or crisps) will likely not be understood by most, unlike American.

A significant portion of Australian lexicon and place names derive from one of the hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages spoken before the British colonial period, many of which are still spoken today. Some words and names like "Wooloomooloo", "Oodnadatta" or "Kununurra" which visitors to the country may find challenging to pronounce, typically roll off the tongue of Australian English speakers.

English-speaking travellers are best advised just to speak clearly, as most Australians are used to a variety of accents. However, it can never hurt to say "G'day, How ya goin'" to an Aussie. The double s in shortenings like "Aussie" and "Tassie" is pronounced like a z, not a soft s.

G'day

Hello.

How ya goin'

How are you?

Not bad mate

Fine, thank you.

Cheers mate / Cheers brother

Thank you.

No worries / No drama

You're welcome (in response to thank you)

Oi

Excuse me (regarded as uncouth by some people)

You're right

That is okay (in response to sorry)

Yeah, nah

I understand but disagree

See ya later

Goodbye

Hoo roo

Goodbye

Take it easy

Goodbye

Devo

Definitely

Reckon

For sure

Brekkie

breakfast

Arvo

afternoon, e.g. "Let's meet for a schooner this arvo".

Yonks

commonly used to convey an exaggerated view of time, e.g. "I haven't seen you in yonks".

Bluey

Red hair

Ranga

Red haired (This can be considered offensive.)

Australians typically have a more laid-back approach to swearing when compared to other countries. Most of the time swearing is used for emphasis rather than to cause offence.

Bugger

Damn - a common expression of disappointment, not offensive.

Cunt

Commonly used between (male) friends: the running joke is that Australians call people they like cunts, and people they don't like mates. It can still be very offensive in other contexts, particularly towards women or people you don't know, and qualifiers matter too: sick cunt is high praise, dog cunt is a deadly insult.

Drongo, Galah, Turkey

an idiot or a fool (not generally considered offensive)

Bloody bastard

Usually used to show displeasure with an action or dislike of a person

bloody

very usually used when not in a good mood

Franga

Condom (also Wetcheck, wetty, hoody, raincoat).

Screw

Sexual intercourse.

Root

Sexual intercourse, similar to the British word 'Shag'. Can also be used as a verb. This also affects Australian sporting terminology—while an American would root for a preferred team or athlete, an Australian would barrack or go for the same.

Scrag

Sexual intercourse.

Gob Job

Fellatio.

Bum

Backside.

Avo

Avocado

Grab a feed

Get something to eat

Barbie

Barbecue.

Sanga

Sandwich.

Brekkie

Breakfast

Take-away

Fast food also used instead of "to go" when ordering food.

Lollies

Confectionary/sweets/candy

Scab

To scrounge off a friend, as in scab a feed.

Snags / Sizzie

Sausage Sizzles

Bludge

To be lazy, or to scab as above. A person who bludges is a bludger. Bludge can also mean to simply avoid

Tucker

Food

Macca's

McDonald's

Macca's Run

Late night trip to McDonald's, usually after a few alcoholic drinks.

Bikkie

Biscuit, by extension chocolate biscuit is chokky bikkie

Cuppa

A cup of coffee

Grog

alcoholic drink, likely beer.

Plonk

Cheap wine.

Goon

Cheap wine that comes in a box.

Sloshed

Somebody who is very drunk.

Pony, Middy, Pot, Schooner, Handle

Various sizes of glass (usually used for beer). Definitions vary by state.

Bevo/Bevvie

Alcoholic beverage

Wife-beater

A sleeveless shirt

Thongs

Flip-flops

Sticky tape

The proper way to say tape

Barbie

BBQ

Bathers

Swimsuit

Billy

teapot in the outback on the fire

Booze-bus

Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers

Budgie Smugglers

Speedos, men's swimming briefs

Lappy

Laptop

pavement princesses / mall-wheel drives

refers to big oversized utes (pickup trucks), such as Ford F150s or Rams, whose drivers have earned a notorious reputation for being notoriously selfish drivers by many city dwellers.

Sunnies

Sunglasses

Gum boots

Wellington boots

Tradie

Any tradesperson

Mate

Anybody at all, more commonly used by males, friends, someone you have never met

Old Mate

Someone that you know, but have forgotten their name.

Aussie

Australian - pronounced Ozzy.

Mob

A group of family or friends - "us mob" (mainly Aboriginal English).

Youse

Plural of you - pronounced 'Yooz'. Only common in working-class areas.

Bogan

An unsophisticated and boorish person, usually speaks in an Ocker fashion; favoured expression outside of Sydney to describe Westies.

Westie

A person from the western suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. (all being working-class neighbourhoods)

Brickie

Bricklayer

Sparkie

Electrician

Chippie

Carpenter

Truckie

Truck driver

Bikie

Biker, usually used to refer to members of an outlaw motorcycle gang, rather than members of a motorbike club.

Ocker

A description of unique Aussie culture. An ocker Aussie would use a lot of these words often.

Banana Benders

Queenslanders

Cane Toads

Queenslanders; especially used to refer to the state's representative rugby league team and its supporters

Cockroaches

Somebody from New South Wales (usually by Queenslanders in reference to the State of Origin rugby league rivalry)

Sandgropers

Western Australians.

Yogi, Yogi Bear

Someone from the Australian Capital Territory. Derived from ACT vehicle registration plates, which all begin with "Y".

Mexicans

Not only used to describe individuals from Mexico, but frequently used by people from the eastern states to refer to those from any state/territory south of them. Queenslanders will use it for those from New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, and less often Tasmania, while those from NSW and the ACT will use it for Victorians (and less often Tasmanians).

Sheila

A woman

Eshay

A teenager, particularly boys who wear branded clothing and are into drugs. However, it's mainly used to signify a rich teen

Yank

An American

Kiwi

A New Zealander

Pom/Pommy

An Englishman

Ranga

A person with red hair, derived from orangutan (sometimes pejorative)

Coastie

Someone from the Central Coast.

The bush

areas outside of major cities and towns.

The outback

often attributed to the deserts of inland Australia, but more often, that which is further away from cities than the 'bush' on the coast

Bushfire

wildfire

Woop Woop

The middle of nowhere (e.g.: So I was stuck out whoop whoop...)

Brissie

Brisbane

Rocky

Rockhampton

Radelaide

Adelaide, although if you're not a South Australian, avoid using this term or the locals will hate you.

Tassie

Tasmania

Wagga

Short for Wagga Wagga

Jindy

Short for Jindabyne

Bundy

Short for Bundaberg, the world's ginger beer capital and Australia's rum capital.

The Coast

Central Coast

Newy

Newcastle

Singo

Singleton

Bello

Bellingen

Tamo

Tamworth, Australia's country music capital.

Bre

Brewarrina

Freo

Fremantle

Snowies

Snowy Mountains

Servo

Service Station (Gas station in North America or petrol station in Europe)

Bottle-O

Bottle Shop (Liquor Store)

Maccas

The McDonald's restaurant chain

Gone walkabout

When the location of someone/something is unknown, e.g. my phone's gone walkabout

Woolies

Woolworths, one of the two major supermarket chains.

Chook

Chicken or fowl

Mozzie

Mosquito

Roo

Kangaroo

Drop bear

Terrifying carnivorous species of koala that drops from its treetop hideout onto the heads of unsuspecting prey (particularly gullible tourists)

Chuck a uey

To make a U-turn (uey is pronounced yoo-ee)

Ute

Coupe utility vehicle (pickup truck)

Choc A bloc or Chockers

full - usually referring to heavy city traffic – particularly in Melbourne

selfie

this slang may be used worldwide, but the original term "selfie" was an Australian slang word used to describe a self photograph

• English language varieties
• Wiktionary

Australian English